


Hunting For A Cure

by AlexandraO



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Auror Harry Potter, Auror Hermione Granger, Co-workers, Corona-based fic, F/M, Head Auror Harry Potter, Mutual Pining, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:14:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24498526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexandraO/pseuds/AlexandraO
Summary: When a magical virus with no cure hits America, MACUSA puts in a request for help. Answering their call is a specialized team consisting of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Dean Thomas, and Susan Bones. Will they be able to put a stop to the chaos and return home, or will the virus keep them stranded in America indefinitely?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter
Comments: 82
Kudos: 90





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my newest Harmony multi-chapter story, Hunting For A Cure. This story was inspired by the Covid-19 Pandemic. 
> 
> Thank you to MrsRen for being my first pair of eyes and The Muse of Apollo for beta-ing. 
> 
> I hope you are all staying safe during this time. Enjoy!

**_November 2002_ **

The man stood behind impenetrable glass and laughed maniacally as he watched the veins on his test subject turn gold. That was the first sign that their body was going into magical overload. Soon, the magic would burst out of their body, draining them of all magic and rendering them absolutely useless in the Wizarding World. Alive, but useless. Eventually, their body wouldn’t be able to support itself without magic and they would die...slowly and painfully. 

That was the plan anyway.

The first few hadn’t gone as smoothly as he hoped, the formula not quite right. They had died immediately as their magic left their bodies rather than staying alive enough to go out and infect others with just a simple touch.

Now, he had it down to perfection. This was the last person he was sending out with their memories modified and an overwhelming sense to be touchy with each person in their life. Hugs, fist bumps, handshakes—any would allow the passing of his virus and one-by-one, wizarding folk would be infected. With several dozen infected already, it wouldn’t be long until many more were falling victim to his machinations. 

Soon, the entire Wizarding World and magic would be gone...for good. 

  
  


**_March 2003_ **

Hermione ran through the atrium, her heels clicking against the tile floor. She skidded into the nearest lift right as the doors were closing. Leaning against the back wall, she breathed heavily. As she peeked an eye open, several other ministry workers inside of the lift were looking at her curiously, but cast their eyes downward and had the decency to blush at being caught.

She shook her head, knowing she was a sight to behold. Hermione Granger…late. 

On any normal morning in the ministry, she would be there an hour before everyone else, coffee in hand, already knee-deep in paperwork. But this was no normal morning. Hermione Granger was leaving for America on an Auror mission and for some reason, a last-minute meeting had been scheduled by none other than Harry _bloody_ Potter. 

He knew she thrived on scheduling and a last-minute meeting threw all of her plans out the window. Instead of spending the morning leisurely packing, she had thrown various items of clothing into her beaded bag, forgoing the items on her carefully compiled list. She was going to give him a piece of her mind. 

The lift made a stop on every level before it finally opened on Level 2. Apparently, a lack of organization was department-wide. Memos flew overhead like rockets and several Ministry employees from other departments were rushing around. The atmosphere was anxiety-inducing but she took a deep breath and stepped out.

Hermione weaved her way through the chaos and into the Auror Headquarters. She made her way to her cubicle to set her stuff down. Changing into her Auror robes, and ditching her heels for her worn leather boots, Hermione rushed off to the conference room where everyone else was already waiting. 

“Hermione!” Harry called as she slipped through the door, hoping to go unnoticed. 

She nodded her head and pressed her lips together in a tight smile. “Auror Potter,” she said, trying to keep things professional as possible. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. 

“Now that we are all here, let’s begin. The large group of you who were supposed to go to America on a mission…it’s been cancelled until further notice.” 

A murmur of whispers went through the Aurors and Hermione was tempted to shush them so that Harry could continue. However, seeing that she was late, she didn’t want to draw more attention to herself. 

Harry ignored the whispers and continued. “Now, as Head Auror, I will be taking a small team of two Aurors, and a healer.” 

The room was silent except for Dean Thomas, who went through the Academy with Hermione when she had left the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures two years ago. “What’s going on boss?” 

Hermione looked back toward Harry and she really looked at him. He had taken his glasses off and ran his hands over his face. When he placed them back on the bridge of his nose, she noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He must not have gotten much sleep and from the state of his rumpled clothing, she had a hunch that if he did get any sleep, it was on the sofa in his office. 

He placed his hands on the desk in front of him before responding. “There is a magical virus and we have intel that it’s spreading rapidly in America. All International travel has been stopped in or out of the country. We have special permission to take one team in and try to figure out what is going on.” 

He paused for a moment and looked around the room. “For now, continue on with your regular assignments as normal. Auror Robards is second in command, treat him as such.” There were several nods around the room, including Hermione. “Dismissed.” 

Hermione opened the door but before she could move out, Harry spoke again, stopping everyone in their tracks. “Granger, Thomas, a word.” 

With a wave of his hand, her colleagues once again started shuffling out of the room and she stepped out of the way, waiting for the room to clear. 

Hermione shut the door behind the last Auror and took a seat at the end of the table, Dean choosing the seat next to her. Harry walked over to them and sat on the table in front of them. She caught a whiff of his cologne and had to stop herself from humming in appreciation; Harry had always smelled nice but within a moment, it was already gone. 

“A virus?” she asked, redirecting her attention to the matter at hand. “I am assuming you have more details than what you gave the rest of the Aurors.” 

“I do, but MACUSA wants the details of what is happening kept under wraps as much as possible. They don’t know what is causing the virus, but it’s likely that it was man-made and it’s spreading rapidly.” 

“Never before seen?” Dean asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

Harry shook his head. “Unfortunately that’s the case.” 

“What are the symptoms?” Hermione asked. “And what is MACUSA doing to stop the spread...anything?” 

“All of the details are on this briefing,” Harry said, handing them each a piece of parchment. Hermione quickly scanned the paper as Harry continued to speak. “But symptoms include unexplained outbursts of magic, magical core draining—”

Hermione looked up quickly. “How is that possible?” 

“The healers and those currently conducting research believe that the core is being drained by the magical outburst.” 

“Are they losing their magic entirely?” Dean asked. Hermione was curious about the same thing. If they were losing their magic entirely, the virus’s purpose was to create squibs. 

“Those who are still alive are being monitored and showing low levels of magic still left in their core. There isn’t much to go on because the magical outbursts are killing most victims...and those who are holding on aren’t going to make it much longer if something isn’t done about it. The magical hospitals in New York City cannot keep up with the demand.” 

Hermione nodded in understanding. “That’s why the death toll is so high then,” she said, glancing once more at the parchment. “Our job is what exactly...crowd control, keeping people at home?” 

“Partially. But we are going to try and track down who created the virus. It’s possible they created a cure despite never having the intention to administer it to any of the victims.” 

Dean snorted and Harry frowned. “Sorry boss, but it’s unlikely that anyone who is doing this is going to give up the cure. Whoever they are, they’re doing this for nefarious reasons. They want people to die...at the very least lose their magic.”

“That’s one of the reasons why you’re coming with us, Dean. You’re the top negotiator here in the UK, if and when we find the culprit, we need that cure. If we don’t get it, it will spread worldwide, killing an obscene amount of magicals.” 

There was a deafening silence in the room after Harry’s statement, neither Dean nor Hermione knowing what to say. Yet, Hermione knew they were all thinking the same thing—if this virus wasn’t stopped, magic could cease to exist.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was sluggish when they arrived in New York City later that day. Portkeys over long distances always took much longer than preferred and despite it being dinner time in London, it was just past midday in America. Sleep was a long way off and a meeting with the MACUSA president and Head Auror was on the docket.

As they made their way through the Woolworth Building, the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, Hermione was stopped in her tracks not by the group of statues commemorating those who died in the Salem Witch Trials, but by the most beautiful sight — a coffee shop.

“Coffee,” Hermione moaned wantonly. “I need it.” 

Harry chuckled beside her, transferring his leather jacket to his other arm as he reached into his front pocket and pulled out several galleons. 

Hermione frowned. “I got it.” 

Harry pushed the money into Hermione’s palm. “My treat.” He winked. 

Together they walked over and stood behind Dean and Susan who were already in line. Once they had their drinks in hand — iced coffee for Hermione, a cappuccino for Harry, the foursome made their way to the meeting room. 

Hermione took the first sip of coffee and hummed in satisfaction. It felt as though the caffeine was being injected into her veins, waking her back up. With a little more pep in her step, she chatted happily with Harry, Susan, and Dean as they walked. 

When they entered the conference room, several others were already present. 

“Ah, Head Auror Potter, I see you and your team have arrived safely,” the woman said, moving toward them. “Madeleine Burke, President of MACUSA.” 

“Madam,” he said, greeting her with an incline of his head, avoiding touching at all costs. 

Hermione was happy to see that he had taken her advice. It wasn’t safe to be touching others when they had no idea how the virus could be spread. If they weren’t careful, they could be infected themselves. 

He then introduced Hermione and the rest of the team. “Auror Granger, Auror Thomas, and Healer Bones.” 

“Nice to meet you all, please, call me Madeleine. Thank you for coming. Have a seat and make yourselves comfortable. I’ll make introductions in a moment.” 

Burke made her way back to the others she had been chatting with when they first entered the room. Harry led his team to the end of the table and the four of them took their seats, quietly conversing and sipping on their drinks. It was only a few moments later when the other four individuals joined them. 

President Burke sat down across from Harry and crossed her hands in front of her. Hermione took this time to observe the most powerful woman in Wizarding America. It didn’t surprise Hermione that she was dressed in muggle business attire due to being in the heart of New York City and coming into contact with muggles on a daily basis. She and other witches and wizards would look too out of place in robes. Her short blonde hair was slicked back behind her ears and the dark eyeshadow that she wore upon her eyelids made her blue eyes pop. Madeleine Burke didn’t look like someone she fancied messing with. 

“Auror Potter, let me introduce you to the team who you’ll be working with during your time here in America.” She gestured to the three others sitting next to her. “This is our Captain of Aurors, Clinton Buckley.” 

A tall man with broad shoulders and a buzz cut raised his hand in greeting. Next, she introduced another Auror, a beautiful Hispanic woman named Campbell Gonzales. Lastly, there was a man that reminded her a bit of Draco Malfoy in the looks department — Derek Serrano, who was introduced as an expert potioneer. 

“Serrano is in charge of finding a cure for this virus that is starting to wreak havoc here in New York City. He’s studying the patients in St. Estes Hospital in an attempt to better identify it.” 

Hermione nodded her head as the woman stood from her chair. “I will leave the seven of you to get to know one another and come up with a plan. Buckley, submit a detailed plan by tomorrow morning on my desk.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Buckley grunted. 

President Burke stopped before she left the room. “Let me know if your team needs anything while you’re here in New York City, Auror Potter.” 

Harry nodded and said thank you before turning back to the rest of the team. He then introduced Hermione, Dean, and Susan to the others. 

“Nice to meet you all,” Gonzalez said, smiling and showing her brilliant white teeth.

“Let’s get down to business,” Buckley said, looking toward the man who looked like Malfoy. “You have something to share, correct?” 

“I do.” He looked back at Hermione and the rest of the crew before responding. “As you already know, we have no idea what is causing this virus. Based on my research and what we know from viruses of the past in the magical and muggle world, it’s most likely that it’s spreading by touch. If it’s man made, like we currently assume, that would be the easiest way to get it to spread. For now, I would avoid touching anyone you come into contact with until we know for sure what is going on.” 

Hermione frowned. “We arrived together and have been in close contact since this morning—” 

Serrano interrupted her. “—You have just arrived from London where the virus has not yet reached. You should be fine to continue being in close contact with one another unless one of you thinks you’ve been exposed.”

With that, he stood up and buttoned his suit jacket. “I apologize for leaving, but I must get back to the lab and continue testing. I will send over any new findings as soon as I can.” He looked up. “Perhaps Miss Bones would like to join me tomorrow at the hospital to assist?” 

“That sounds perfect,” Susan replied. “I will meet you—” 

“—at the hotel. I’ll meet you right inside the front doors and escort you to the hospital in the shortest and safest way possible.” 

“That sounds agreeable. See you then.” 

Without another word, Serrano walked out the door, closing the door behind him. 

“You’ve received the briefing and had time to go over it?” Buckley asked, getting straight to business. 

“We did,” Harry replied. “We are eager to help you in resolving this as quickly as possible and return home.” 

Buckley’s mouth thinned. “I hope that is the case. Because until this is solved, you will not be able to travel outside of the United States.” 

“We understand.” Harry ran his fingers through his hair. “What are our assignments?”

“—Actually sir,” Hermione said, speaking before Buckley could answer Harry’s question. “I had a question.” She paused before continuing. “Why is it America needs our help? I mean, don’t you have your own Aurors who could be doing this work? Not that we aren’t happy to assist, but…”

She trailed off and Buckley pressed his lips together. The others didn’t say anything. He looked down for several moments playing with the corner of the briefing before looking back up. Hermione was surprised to see the Auror’s kind eyes harden in that short period of time. 

“A lot of our Aurors have fallen ill due to the virus. Many of them are in the hospital fighting for their lives, while the others are attempting to still keep order and fight the crime we have on a regular basis,” he admitted. “It’s likely they will also fall victim to the virus. We asked for help because...well, because we can’t do this on our own. The best chance we have is working together.” 

Hermione wasn’t expecting his heartfelt speech, but she appreciated it all the same. Harry gave a little squeeze to her thigh and she grabbed his hand. They were here to help and Hermione knew their team would give it their all.

“Well then, Captain Buckley, we best get down to business,” she said, sending the Auror a smile. “I believe you were handing us our assignments.” She held out a hand expectantly.

The man gave her a brief smile and inclined his head in which she interpreted as a thank you before launching into explanations and expectations. The next hour was spent reviewing the briefing that was sent to them earlier that morning and assigning them their duties. 

Harry and Hermione would be paired together working on finding the source of the virus. They had permission to do whatever was necessary to get to the bottom of the crime. Dean was to be paired up with Auror Gonzalez and work on crowd control. They would be working closely with Susan, coming up with ways to warn the public without scaring them into chaos in addition to educating them of appropriate safety measures. Susan would also be working closely with Expert Potioneer, Serrano, as was already established earlier in the meeting. Captain of the Aurors, Clinton Buckley would be overseeing the operation and would fill in where necessary once their plan was in motion. 

“Anything else?” Harry asked, placing his hands on the table in front of him. 

Buckley shook his head. “I’ll get this report written up and sent to Madeleine by the morning. You’ve had a long day, get some rest and I’ll send over some material about the case to your hotel by the morning.”

Harry stood and Hermione followed, Susan and Dean behind them quietly whispering to themselves. They quickly made their way to the hotel, eager to settle in for the evening and get something to eat. 

* * *

“Bad news,” Harry said, grimacing as he walked over to them. 

“What is it?” 

“There was a mistake with the reservation so there’s been a change of plans.” Harry handed a key over to Dean. “This room has two queen beds, you and Susan can share...if you're both okay with that, I mean.”

Hermione frowned. “Why aren’t Susan and I sharing anymore?” 

Harry ran a hand through his hair again, and a light blush covered his cheeks. “Well, we know each other best and the other room has just a king bed. I figured it would be less...awkward since we occasionally slept in the same bed while on the run. I would just change reservations, but uhm, they don’t have anything left. Completely booked.” 

Hermione looked toward Susan and Dean. “Is that okay with both of you? Susan and I could make the king bed work if either of you are uncomfortable sharing a room.” 

Hermione waited as the two looked at each other and seemed to have come to a silent understanding. “We are okay with sharing,” Susan finally said, her cheeks turning red as Dean grinned. Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow but didn’t press them further. Perhaps there was something more there that they weren’t quite ready to share. 

“Okay, let’s head up then,” Harry said, breaking Hermione’s train of thought. 

The foursome was quiet as they made their way to their rooms. Hermione used the time to think about the case...well, she tried to think about the case. Instead, she found her mind wandering and landing on none other than her best friend. From under her eyelashes, she looked up at him. He still looked tired, but with his hair a mess and his tan leather jacket, he could sweep any woman off her feet. He must have felt her staring because he looked down at her and she quickly averted her gaze. 

“Alright, Hermione?” He whispered, nudging his elbow lightly into her side. 

She nodded her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “Just tired.” 

“Me too. Let’s get some food and head off to bed.” 

Hermione knew he hadn’t meant it sexually, but she couldn’t stop her face from burning just thinking about being in the same bed with him. Sure, they had shared a bed on the run, but that had been over four years prior and was out of desperation. Now, she didn’t know how she was going to share a bed with Harry  _ bleeding  _ Potter especially with the thoughts she was having. 

When they exited the lift, Dean and Susan’s room came first as they walked down the hallway and they bid them goodbye. She raised another eyebrow at Susan as they passed and the witch smirked at her. It seemed that Hermione wasn’t the only one thinking dangerous thoughts. Though, it seemed Susan had every intention of acting on her thoughts and Hermione...well, she didn’t wish to ruin her friendship with Harry by acting on her desires. She’d just have to suffer through. 

Once they reached their door, Harry fumbled with the key for a moment before getting it in the slot and unlocking it. Hermione pointedly ignored the large, king-sized bed in the middle of the room and walked over the desk, dropping her bag to the floor. 

“Do you mind if I shower first?” she asked, opening her bag and pulling out her toiletries. She turned toward him and he had thrown himself on the bed, an arm thrown over his eyes, his glasses dangling from his fingers. 

“Harry, are you alright?” she asked, frowning. 

“I’m fine, just exhausted.” He paused for a moment. “I don’t mind if you shower first. I am just going to rest my eyes.” 

Hermione quickly grabbed her things and shut herself in the bathroom. She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. “You can do this, Granger. You can share a bed with Harry. You’ve done it before. You  _ can _ do this.”

No matter how much she repeated the mantra, she wasn’t sure she could. Only time would tell. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to The Muse of Apollo for beta-ing this piece!

Hermione woke up feeling very warm. Not willing to get up and face the day quite yet she snuggled further into the pillow, wiggling her body to get more comfortable. 

Harry groaned beside her. “Hermione, please stop doing that,” he said, his voice straining as if he was exhibiting a large amount of self control. 

Hermione’s eyes shot open and she sat up. She scooted as far away from Harry as possible, almost falling off the side of the bed in the process. 

“S-s-sorry,” Hermione stuttered out, her face heating up. “I forgot I wasn’t sleeping alone.” 

“It’s alright,” he said, throwing back the covers and placing his feet on the ground. “I’m going to shower first, that okay?” He stood from the bed and turned toward her, stretching his arms to the ceiling, yawning in the process. 

His voice was sleepy and sexy and Hermione was having a hard time focusing on anything but his upper body. His chest had a smidgen of hair on it that only grew darker as she gazed down his body, disappearing beneath his boxers. The last time she saw him dressed in so little was on the Horcrux hunt and at that time, he was skinny and scrawny. But now, he boasted six-pack abdominal muscles — no doubt from the rigorous exercising regime that was in place for Aurors. 

She wouldn’t mind—

“Errr, Hermione?” 

Harry speaking brought her out of her daydream. While she had been in her daydream, Harry had put on his glasses and had brought a hand back to ruffle his hair — something he did when he was nervous or unsure. She felt her face heating up again, remembering what she had been thinking about. 

“What?” she asked, not remembering what he had asked only moments before. 

“Do you mind if I take a shower first?” 

“Oh, I don’t mind. I just need to freshen up since I showered last night.” 

Harry nodded and as soon as he shut himself in the bathroom, Hermione flopped back down on the pillows and groaned. She had just been caught eyeing her best friend quite thoroughly and he  _ definitely _ noticed. Not to mention, she woke up and ground her arse against him. Today was not off to the start she had hoped, and it was doubtful with the situation at hand, that it would improve. 

* * *

As promised, Auror Captain Buckley sent over extra material about the case. While Susan was off at the hospital with the potioneer, Serrano, Hermione poured over the files with Dean and Harry. There wasn’t much, but they did include helpful information about the patients and what the Aurors had already accomplished on the case, including potential suspects and locations. 

“This doesn’t give us a whole lot to go on,” Dean said, throwing the file down onto the table, voicing Hermione’s concerns. 

“You’re right,” Harry said, “But it’s better than nothing.” 

* * *

Hours later, Harry and Hermione had just followed up on the last suspect and were at a complete dead end. None of the wizards they questioned seemed suspicious and without probable cause, they couldn’t arrest and question them with truth serum.

“What now?” Harry asked as they landed in their hotel room after Apparating back together. 

Hermione sat on the bed and looked up at him. “You tell me. You’re the boss.” 

Harry laughed. “But you’re always the one who’s gotten me out of tight spots.” 

“So you’re saying I should be in charge, then?” She smirked. 

“Hey, don’t put words in my mouth, Hermione Granger. I just know you look at things a different kind of way than everyone else. You’re brilliant.” 

Hermione blushed at the compliment. She had heard it a million times, but she would never tire of hearing it from Harry. 

“Let’s do some brainstorming.”

“Yeah, okay,” Harry said. He pulled the chair from the desk and turned it around, sitting on it backwards. 

“Everyone that we interviewed today, why did we interview them?” Hermione mused out loud. “What did they have in common?” 

“Errr, they are all criminals?” 

“More than the obvious, Harry!” 

His cheeks colored pink. “Right, sorry.” He paused before speaking again. “They were all criminals, but they also were caught baiting muggles making them prime suspects for baiting wizards as well.” 

“Correct, but I don’t think that is the direction we need to go in,” Hermione contemplated, tapping her chin. “Let’s try to think like a muggle forensic profiler. We need to figure out a profile of our offender.” 

Hermione stood up from the bed and pulled her wand from the holster on her leg. She waved it in the direction of a notepad sitting on the desk, turning it into a whiteboard. With another wave, she turned a pen into a whiteboard marker. 

Harry moved his chair toward her and she uncapped the marker, ready to make some initial observations on their suspect. 

“Okay,” Hermione began. “Let’s think. The description of our suspect can include psychological variables such as personality traits, psychopathologies and behavior patterns, as well as demographic variables such as age, race, or geographic location.” 

Harry laughed. 

“What?” she asked, huffing. 

“Nothing, Hermione, promise. You just reminded me of being in school and you reciting something exactly from a textbook.” He shrugged. “It’s cute. Reminds me of old times.” 

Hermione once again felt her face heat up and she turned back to the whiteboard to hide it. She cleared her throat and began to write, trying to not overthink his words for now. “I think the first thing we need to put on this list is above average IQ. This person is obviously smart.” 

“And has something against magical people.” 

Hermione nodded and wrote  _ Anti-Magic _ .

Harry continued. “In addition to that if the person has something against magic or magical persons, is that something happened in their life to make them think that way.” 

“What could that be?” 

Harry leaned forward. “Now this is just a guess, but who has something against magical people more than anyone else?” He raised his eyebrows as she connected the dots.

“Squibs?”

Harry nodded and clicked his tongue to the top of his mouth. “Bingo.” 

Hermione was impressed with Harry’s deduction skills and she placed squib on the board with a question mark, knowing that it wasn’t a sure thing. 

“What about socially competent?” Hermione asked. “If he injected this virus into witches and wizards like we think, he lured them in somehow.” 

“Add it to the list,” Harry agreed. Hermione did and then took a step back, capping the marker. 

The list read: 

_ Above Average IQ _

_ Anti-Magic _

_ Squib? _

_ Socially Competent _

“That’s a decent list for now, since we are just going off what we know from the case files,” Harry said, stretching his arms above his head as he stood up from the chair.

Hermione set down the marker. “We can finalize and add to it once we get more information. What do you suggest we do now?” She looked down at her watch. “It’s about dinner time.” 

“Fooooood,” Harry groaned. “I’m starving. Let’s see if Dean and Susan are back and we can talk about the case over dinner.” 

“Let me freshen up real quick and get out of these clothes,” Hermione said, walking to her beaded bag. 

“Fine by me, I’ll go next door and give them a heads up if they’re back. We can meet in 30 minutes or so?” 

“That’s fine, you know it won’t take me long.” 

Harry walked over to her and engulfed her in a hug. Hermione closed her eyes and had to stop herself from thinking too much into it. “One thing I love about you — I don’t have to wait hours for you to get ready.” 

He pulled back from the hug and gave her a grin. “I’ll be right back.” 

Hermione nodded and held her breath until the hotel door shut behind him. It was normal for him to hug and leave kisses on her temple or forehead, but it was getting more and more difficult not to let herself fall completely in love with him.

She quickly moved toward the bathroom and locked herself in before Harry could make a reappearance. Pushing him out of her mind, Hermione busied herself getting ready for dinner. She needed to focus — they had a criminal to catch.

* * *

They had decided to eat dinner at the hotel restaurant for the night. It was safest not to go out into Wizarding New York City due to the virus. They began serious talk about their assignments once their appetizer arrived, their drinks already being refilled. 

Hermione immediately dug in, grabbing a pita chip and dipping it into the spinach and artichoke dip. She hummed in content as she swallowed, washing it down with a sip of her white wine. 

“How did things go today at the hospital?” Harry asked, looking toward Susan. 

She leaned back into her chair and sighed. “It was fine, though extremely worrisome. Serrano was right — it is most likely that it is spread by touch.” 

“You didnt—?”

Susan answered Hermione’s half-asked question. “I didn’t touch anyone and I took precautions. Though there is always the possibility…” She trailed off and the three of them nodded in understanding. There was always the possibility that one of them could be infected and in turn, infect them all. 

They all thought about that for a moment, none of them speaking, their sounds of chewing and the other patrons the only noise. 

Harry finally spoke again. “Are there any new findings? I know that Serrano said he would send some new stuff over and twenty-four hours isn’t enough time but—” 

“—You can hope,” Hermione finished for him. 

“Yeah,” Harry said, nodding. He looked back at Susan expectantly. 

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Harry, but there’s nothing new. And to be completely honest with you all, I am not sure if there is anything we can do until a cure is found.” 

“Well, we all knew that was possible,” Dean said, voicing the same thing Hermione had been thinking. “We just need to make sure we slow down the infection rate. Otherwise, the hospitals are going to be overrun and eventually, to be totally blunt, royally fucking screwed.” 

At that moment, the waitress came by and took away their appetizer plates, and promised to be right back with their entrees. 

Hermione continued the conversation. “Did you and Auror Gonzalez have a chance to brainstorm on crowd control and how you’ll work with Susan to warn the public?” 

“We did have a brief conversation with Susan, but we plan to do more of that tomorrow since she was at the hospital for most of today. What we came up with so far is that an announcement to the Wizarding population is necessary — I’m not sure why they haven’t done it already. Everyone needs to be warned of this virus. There’s no avoiding that.” 

“And to avoid the panic that might cause?” Harry asked. 

“Well—” 

His response was cut off by the waitress arriving with their entrees on a large tray. Once she delivered their food and asked if they needed anything else, she walked away, once more leaving them to their conversation. 

Hermione carefully laid a napkin out onto her lap and tucked into her food. The other three did the same and finally, Dean set his silverware down and picked right back up where he left off. 

“I think it’s important to give accurate and truthful information to the public, and also provide them with information to protect themselves. So the message needs to be delivered from an authority figure, most likely the President, and then sandwiched in there also needs to be a reassurance that everyone involved has it under control, providing steps to avoid contracting the virus.” 

“Should we be asking for anyone who has information to come forward?” Susan asked. 

“I’m not sure,” Dean answered. “That is likely to cause more panic and make it seem like we don’t have it under control.” He paused. “Yet, someone might have information on how this all started.” 

“It’s a very fine line we have to navigate,” Hermione said, agreeing. 

“Would it be horrible to cause a bit of panic? What would happen? People would shut themselves inside their houses...isn’t that what we want?” Harry asked, Hermione hearing the hesitancy in his voice. 

She raised her eyebrows but didn’t disagree with him. “You’re right, but we can’t expose ourselves to muggles in the process. I think it needs to be done delicately...well, as delicately as possible.” 

“We’ll come up with a game plan tomorrow,” Dean said. “We can talk with the President and if she has a press team, talk with them as well. They’re the experts at communicating information to the public.” 

“I think that’s a good plan,” Harry said. “Keep us informed, but do what is needed.”

Harry and Hermione spent the rest of dinner and dessert explaining to Susan and Dean what they had accomplished over the day and the new leads they were going to follow over the next few days.

On their way back up to their hotel rooms, Harry spoke again. “I think we should meet each night, even if it’s just really quickly in our rooms to report on our days. I value all of your input.” 

He looked at the three of them as he spoke, but Hermione felt that his eyes lingered on hers longer than the others, sending a shiver up her spine, once again reminding her of their bed situation awaiting them. 

“Agreed,” the three of them chorused simultaneously. They laughed and Harry and Hermione bid Susan and Dean goodnight as they made their way to their room. 

Hermione yawned as she entered, Harry right behind her. “I’m tired.” 

“Me too. Let’s change and get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow.” 

Hermione agreed in her head that they indeed had a long day ahead of them. Though, she didn’t know how much sleep she was going to get with Harry only inches away. Maybe she’d stay awake all night just so she didn’t accidentally wake up pressed against him like she had that morning. But maybe she would drift off just so she could wake up in his arms. 

After changing into her pajamas, Hermione crawled into bed beside Harry and turned off the bedside lamp, plunging the room into darkness. Despite her internal debate on whether to stay awake throughout the night or not, she knew she couldn’t — the mission depended on the team performing at their best. Her eyes were already feeling heavy and fluttered shut, sleep overcoming her. If she ended up in Harry’s arms in the morning...well, so be it. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to The Muse of Apollo for beta-ing this for me. Enjoy!

Harry woke that morning and had to keep himself from groaning. Hermione’s backside was pushed right up against him and his arms were wrapped around her body, his hand resting on her right breast. His face had been nuzzling her neck and if he was completely honest with himself, he didn’t want to move. 

He’d been tiptoeing around his feelings for her for quite some time and with her so close, he wanted to do nothing but take her and make her his. But, he concluded that he might scare her off if she awoke to find his erection pressed against her back and so he flung himself on to his back, contemplating his feelings. 

There were several incidents where he thought maybe Hermione wasn’t being honest about her feelings for him either. He had caught her looking him up and down multiple times and looking away quickly, pretending she hadn’t been staring. Just the day before, she had woken up and pushed her body into his. He wasn’t convinced that it had been an accident. 

Harry knew that the case was their first priority, but if they came out of this situation exploring a newfound romance he would be thrilled. He had to stop himself from picturing future dates and long, lazy mornings in bed with Hermione. It wouldn’t do for him to hope for something that might not come to fruition. With a sigh, he untangled himself from the bedsheets and made his way to the bathroom. Perhaps a wank would distract him from his thoughts of Hermione enough to get on with the day.

An hour later, both Harry and Hermione were dressed and ready to tackle the day. 

“What’s on the docket, sir?” Hermione asked, securing her wand in its holster on her ankle. 

Harry paused for a second, processed that he enjoyed  _ sir _ crossing her lips in relation to him, and then responded. “Since we think our perp might be a squib, I think it’s a good idea to get a list of squibs in America and then narrow it down to those who live here in New York City and the surrounding area. From there, we can narrow that down further based upon the different characteristics we talked about yesterday.”

Hermione nodded. “Sounds good to me, let’s do it.” 

Hours later, Harry and Hermione found themselves deep in the MACUSA archives, pouring over registered squibs in the area. “This is going to take longer than I thought,” Harry admitted, tossing a quill onto the desk.

Hermione lifted her head. “There aren’t  _ that  _ many squibs here in America. It’s narrowing it down based on what we’ve come up with so far for our perp that is going to be time-consuming. It could be any of these.” 

Harry nodded in agreement. “I think we should also look at one other thing,” he told her. 

“What is it?” 

There was an eagerness in her eyes that Harry had begun to appreciate more over the years. Hermione’s desire to learn had never left and had wrangled him out of several tight spots over the years. 

“What if there is some jealousy in the family? Like our suspect is the only squib, the rest of the family is magical and successful.” 

“I like that. But who—what made you think of that?” Hermione asked, tapping a pen against her chin in thought.

“This,” Harry said, sliding a piece of parchment across the table. 

He had circled a name. 

“Hunter Burke,” she said out loud, testing the name on her lips several more times. Harry watched as the realization dawned upon her and she gasped. “Not President Burke’s brother, you don’t think?” 

Harry nodded. “The very same. Now, I’m not saying that it is him, but I think it’s a pretty good lead.” 

“Do you think we should bring it up to the President?” 

Harry shook his head. “I think this is something that we can keep to ourselves for now. If it gets around that we are looking into the President’s brother as a potential suspect...well, let’s just say that it might not go well.” 

He was relieved when Hermione nodded her head in agreement. 

“We should make copies, then,” Hermione said. “Of the squib lists and everything we can find on Burke.” She paused for a moment and began to stack all of the papers into one neat pile. “Perhaps we should pull everything we know about the President as well. If he is our perp, anything about her could help us get to know him a little better.” 

Harry agreed. Once they finished making copies of everything they could find on the squibs around the area, especially on the President and her brother, they left the MACUSA archives, their research carefully tucked away and out of sight. 

“What now?” Hermione asked as they exited the lift in the main atrium of the Ministry. 

Harry’s stomach growled and she laughed. “Lunch then,” she said, answering her own question. 

They decided to stick to the cafe within the ministry, not wanting to risk going out into public any more than necessary. He was surprised it was open, but it seemed they were taking extra precautions as well — everything available was pre-wrapped and the few workers on their shift, seemed to be using their wand for everything, refusing to touch anything with their hands. 

“This is way better than the canteen at home,” Hermione commented, taking a bite of a chicken wrap. 

“Agreed,” he said, enjoying his chicken salad sandwich and crisps. “Way better. Perhaps we should take some notes and pass it on to whoever deals with the food at the Ministry of Magic.” 

Hermione tapped the side of her head. “Already, on it,  _ sir _ .” 

Harry laughed. He  _ really _ did enjoy the word,  _ sir _ crossing her plump, red lips. 

Once they finished lunch, they decided to head back to their room at the hotel. They could get plenty of work done there without having to look over their shoulders. Their research was sensitive and their hotel room gave them the privacy they needed.

* * *

Hours later, Hermione cracked her back and looked toward Harry who was lounging in a chaise lounge nearby. His glasses were on the bridge of his nose and his eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration as he looked at the papers in his hands. His hair was a mess, sticking up on all ends, telling her that he had run his hands through it multiple times. She loved seeing him engrossed in his work — so serious and passionate about helping people and catching the criminals who continued to plague the world. 

After the war, Hermione was sure that Harry wouldn’t want to fight any longer and he would return to Hogwarts for a quiet year. She’d been surprisingly wrong and he had immediately entered the Auror Academy and began training while she went straight into Ministry work in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. 

He thrived in the Academy and afterwards as a new recruit. He teamed up with friends and old foes within the department, catching rogue Death Eaters leftover from the war. The Wizengamot couldn’t keep up and the ministry holding cells overflowed on more than one occasion with a mix of Death Eaters and petty criminals.

As for herself, after three years working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Hermione had decided that her work was for naught. The old and stuffy purebloods on the Wizengamot were still too stuck in their ways to let a muggleborn woman come in and transform old policies and procedures to protect lesser beings such as goblins, dwarfs, and house-elves. She had grown tired after losing fight after fight and one day, just up and quit. 

Hermione had enjoyed a few weeks of freedom until Harry came knocking on the door to her flat, asking her to give the Ministry another chance, but this time, in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He had just been promoted and would be training the new recruits in the Auror Academy.

He begged and begged her to join until finally, she decided to cave in. She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her life, but she knew she wanted to help others in some capacity and this seemed like a good place to start. It hadn’t taken long to make it to the top of her class in the Academy, Dean Thomas just below her. They joined the Auror Forces as new recruits after completing one year in the academy being a force to reckon with.

Hermione could decide later if she would prefer the other side of law enforcement and go into magical law as a lawyer since she couldn’t see herself being an Auror forever. With wanting a family someday, it wasn’t exactly an ideal career, but it was something that she enjoyed for the time being. 

Harry must have felt her staring because he looked up and grinned, his frown lines disappearing. “Alright, Hermione?” 

“How’s it going?” she asked casually, pretending that she hadn’t been looking long and potentially thinking of what a family with him would look like only moments before. 

“Good, there isn’t much on this Hunter Burke person though. He has a clean record, in the magical world anyway.” 

“Unfortunate,” she replied, frowning. “I was hoping that we’d caught a lead.” 

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt to talk to him. Perhaps there is a squib help group and he knows who is doing this?” 

Hermione laughed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh about that and I know what you meant, but it just sounds silly.” 

“Well, do you think there would be?” he asked again, steering the conversation back after having a laugh with her.

“Hold on.” Hermione dug through the papers on the desk and came across the one she was looking for. “Ah-ha, there is something like that, it’s called Non-Magicals Support Group: A Safe Space for Squibs and Allies.”

“That’ll be our first stop tomorrow,” Harry said, stacking his papers and standing up. He set them on the desk and looked at his watch. “And tomorrow perhaps we can try to get some records from the muggle Police Department for him. But we’ve worked the afternoon away, I think it’s quitting time.” 

Hermione nodded in agreement and rubbed her eyes. She’d been staring at such small lettering all day, a headache was coming on. 

“Come on,” Harry told her, grasping her elbow. “I’ll order some food and we can pass out early. We both need it.” 

“What about Dean and Susan?” 

“I’ll send a note over to make sure everything is okay, but we can catch up in the morning at breakfast before we split for the day.” 

Hermione nodded. “I need to shower, my head is pounding.” 

“I’ll order food while you do that. Anything else you need?” 

“Maybe some chocolate cake and some Tylenol?” Hermione asked. 

Harry laughed. “Whatever you want.” 

Hermione disappeared into the shower and took her time, letting the scalding hot water turn her skin red. The feel of the water on her scalp made her feel much better, the headache slowly ebbing away. 

After turning off the water, Hermione dressed in her usual pyjamas — shorts and one of Harry’s old quidditch jerseys and walked out into the room. Harry was sitting on the chaise lounge again, his eyes shut as he drummed his fingers on his chest.

His eyes slowly opened and he gave her a lazy smile. “My shirt looks good on you.” Slowly getting to his feet, he made his way to her side. “How do you feel?” 

She sighed. “Better. Clean. Hungry.” 

He laughed and checked his watch again. “Food should be here soon.” As soon as the words left his mouth, a knock sounded at the door. “And there it is, I’ll grab it.” 

He strode over and opened the door, exchanged a few words with the person on the other side, and returned with a cart. 

“How much food did you order?” Hermione asked. 

Harry chuckled. “Not that much. I got us a family-style meal and dessert. Nothing too crazy, promise.” 

When Harry lifted the silver platter, Hermione had to stop herself from forgetting her manners and just diving in. It was a simple meal of chicken and rice with a side of vegetables, but it smelled divine. 

“Figured we should eat sorta healthy if we are going to devour this.” He lifted another silver platter revealing a chocolate cake with a glossy chocolate finish.

Hermione’s mouth dropped open. “An entire chocolate cake? How did you manage that?” 

“I have my ways,” he replied, smirking. 

“Fine, keep your secrets, Harry James Potter, but I’ll get it out of you eventually.” 

He raised an eyebrow in her direction as they sat down on the bed and began to dish food onto their plates. “Is that a challenge?” 

“Maybe,” she flirted.

The rest of the meal, they continued the banter back and forth. When it came time for dessert, Hermione bit into the cake and let out a moan.

“This is some really good chocolate cake,” she said, her mouth full. 

“I knew you’d like it.” He took a bite of his cake. “You’re right, it is good.” 

“You still won’t tell me where you got it?” 

He shook his head and swallowed. Leaning in close, his mouth right next to her ear, he said, “If I told you, I’d have to punish you so you’d never tell.” 

Hermione coughed and felt her whole body heat up at his words. He couldn’t say things like that and expect her not to react. 

“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes,” she finally said, her voice quiet. 

“Oh it isn’t?” he asked, shrugging. “Oh well.” 

Hermione ate the rest of her chocolate cake in silence, very aware of how close Harry was, their knees brushing up against one another. 

When she couldn’t possibly eat another bite, she set the plate down and fell back onto the bed, Harry following her a moment later. She was even more aware of his body being right next to hers as their fingers brushed. When she looked toward him, he had turned to his side and was staring at her, his green eyes bright and full of mischief. 

“Hermione?” 

“Yeah?” She turned to her side as well, facing him. 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Hermione swallowed but didn’t hesitate before nodding.

She felt like time was in slow motion as Harry moved his head toward her. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she closed the distance and met him in the middle, pressing her lips to his. 

It was electric. And everything she had been dreaming of. The world and all of the problems they were dealing with just fell away — it was slow and soft, and comforting in ways that words could never be. 

When he pulled away, Hermione bit her lip and he grinned. 

“That was nice,” she told him. 

The next thing Hermione knew, Harry was pressing his lips into hers once more. She didn’t even have time to react before he pressed his tongue to the seam of her lips. Gasping, he delved his tongue inside, twirling their tongues together. 

Hermione moved her arms around his neck, tossing her leg over his waist. He placed his hands on her waist, drawing her closer. She could feel how much he wanted her as he pressed his hardness against her cloth-covered core, the kiss becoming more and more heated as they both gave in to what they had wanted for so long. 

After a few passion-fueled moments or minutes, Hermione wasn’t sure, Harry pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. 

“We should stop,” he said. 

Hermione nodded her head in agreement. “Agreed.” She paused for a moment. “Though I wouldn’t mind continuing this further.” 

Harry grinned and turned onto his back, Hermione taking the moment to lay her head on his shoulder. “Me either, but for the sake of our friendship, I think it’s best if we take this slow.” 

Hermione looked up at him and thought her heart might explode from the pure love and affection emitting from his green eyes as he stared back. She snuggled into him, grabbing the duvet to pull up to their waists. With a wave of her hand, she extinguished the lights and she sighed as she sunk into his arms, Harry pressing a kiss against her temple. 

She wasn’t worried about this newfound romantic relationship destroying their friendship because now that he was in her arms, she had no plans of ever letting him go. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to The Muse of Apollo for looking over this chapter. I did make some changes afterward though, so any mistakes you see are my own!
> 
> I hope you are all safely enjoying the holidays!

Hermione woke up in Harry’s arms and this time, instead of pulling away, she snuggled further into his side. He pressed a kiss against her hair first, then her cheek, then his lips found hers. 

He molded his mouth against hers, his tongue lazily slipping into her mouth and dancing with hers. He pushed the jersey she was wearing up and his fingers caressed the bare skin at her navel. It was sending Hermione into a frenzy, his light touches making her feel like she was on fire. 

When he finally pulled away, Hermione whined. He leaned in and pressed another kiss against her lips before pulling away and throwing his legs over the side. “As much as I would love a lie-in and the opportunity to explore every inch of you, we have a big day today.” 

Hermione sighed. It was true. Today, Dean, Susan, and Auror Gonzalez would be announcing the news of the virus to the general public. While those within the Ministry already knew, they were now prepared to let all of the magical community know. 

Even though most witches and wizards knew how crucial it was to keep the Statute of Secrecy in place, most were likely to panic and inadvertently reveal themselves to be magical in front of no-maj’s. Hopefully, this press conference would help alleviate some fear and keep them from running about like fools. 

The press conference would cover the basics of the virus and how it is spreading. Susan, being a healer, would also touch on best practices to keep from contracting the virus and advising everyone to stay home. President Burke would open and close out the conference in hopes of reiterating how important it was to listen and follow safety measures. They were outsiders and hopefully with her endorsement, the community would take the virus seriously. Some reporters would be in attendance, allowed to ask a few questions for the newspaper to spread the word. 

Midday, Harry and Hermione found themselves in the atrium of MACUSA ready for the press conference. They were there in case extra security was needed or something specific about the case was asked by the reporters.

President Burke then made her appearance, arriving just on time. She gave them a quick nod as she passed on her way to the podium. The reporters were silent as she approached. “Thank you all for coming here today,” she began. 

“Information presented today during today’s press conference is of the utmost importance to the continued health and safety of our community. I have been informed of everything going on, but I am going to pass this on to Auror Dean Thomas from the British Ministry of Magic as he and his team have been diligently working on this case.”

President Burke took a step back and stood opposite of Harry and Hermione, careful to keep her distance. Dean stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat. Camera flashes went off as he began to speak. 

“Like President Burke mentioned, my name is Dean Thomas and I am an Auror for the British Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I am one of the top negotiators within the department and I, along with Head Auror Harry Potter, Auror Hermione Granger, and Healer Susan Bones were called in by the Magical Congress of the United States of America to assist with a delicate matter.

“Today, we are here to tell you of an immediate danger within New York City and the surrounding areas. We’ve done ample amounts of research since we’ve arrived and will continue to assist the Wizarding community in the Greater New York area as much as possible. 

“There is a magical virus being spread by touch. It attacks the magical cores of the person and eventually causes the core to drain, leaving the person without magic. Many have died, and many are currently in the hospital fighting the virus. St. Jouge’s Hospital for the Ailing and Maimed is trying to contain the virus as much as possible and researchers and healers are continuing to search for a cure to stop the spread. 

“We believe that the virus is man-made and we are doing as much as possible to try and find the person who is responsible. The goal is to find this person quickly and extract a cure from him. They then will be tried for their crimes and sentenced appropriately. If you have any information, please contact the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. 

“Thank you.” 

Dean stepped away from the podium and Susan stepped forward taking his place. The camera’s once again flashed off as she began to speak. 

“My name is Susan Bones, and I am a healer from St Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in London. I have been working closely with the healers and researchers here in an attempt to contain the virus. However, until a cure is found, the Wizarding community must protect itself from getting the virus and passing it on to others. 

“With that being said, we are enacting a Stay-At-Home order effective at 5 o’clock this evening. This means that unless you are an essential worker — Magical Law Enforcement, Healers, Researchers, and Food Service Employees, you should stay at home unless there is an emergency. A full list will be provided to you all to publish in your newspaper.

“For the time being, all magical places will be shut down except for the Woolworth building, St. Jouge’s Hospital, and The Elder Supermarket.

“If you must go out into the public for groceries, medication, or an emergency, please avoid crowded areas. We are positive that this virus cannot be passed onto muggles but even the slightest bump into someone who has contracted the virus will ensure that you also become infected. This is no laughing matter and it’s in everyone’s best interest to take this very seriously.

“The Magical Congress of the United States of America will do its best to support its citizens in conjunction with the British Ministry of Magic. A pamphlet with more information on how to go about your day to day lives without endangering others will be sent out to your homes by this evening. 

“We will now take some questions.” 

Dean and Auror Campbell stepped forward to join Susan with Harry and Hermione still hovering off to the side just in case.

“Nova Tuller of  _ The New York Ghost _ ,” the woman said. “What are the steps being taken to catch the person who created this magical virus?” 

“Aurors Harry Potter and Hermione Granger are primarily in charge of this aspect of the case,” Dean told the woman. “I’ll let them answer your question.”

Hermione nodded at Harry and he stepped forward to the podium. “I’m Harry Potter, Head Auror in the Magical Law Enforcement Department in the British Ministry of Magic. To answer your question, we are doing thorough research, creating a profile, and following potential leads. We cannot give any more information as this is an open investigation. Just be reassured that we are doing everything in our power to right this wrong done. Thank you.”

He took a step back next to Hermione and Susan fielded several deeper questions about how the virus was spread by touch and what was being done to discover a cure.

President Burke finally put an end to the press conference. If she hadn’t, they were sure to be there forever, the reporters' questions endless. As she stepped away, several more photographs were taken of the group as a whole before reporters slowly filed out, keeping a safe distance from each other. 

“Well, that’s that,” Auror Gonzalez said, brushing her hands together as the group turned to face each other. 

“Is there any way to protect ourselves while we are out and about, Susan?” Hermione asked. “Harry and I will be out in the public and it’s unavoidable as we look for the person who did this. What do you suggest?” 

Susan shook her head. “I’m sorry, Hermione, but I’m in the same boat as you. We only hope in the hospital that wearing protective equipment, especially gloves will keep us from getting the virus. We’ve been using our wands for everything, trying not to allow us to come too close to the patients, infected or not.” 

“So basically we just have to hope that we don’t get it.” 

Susan nodded. “I’m sorry, I wish I had more to tell you, but we just don’t know anything yet.” 

“It’s alright, Susan. Just protect yourself the best you can, alright?”

“I will.” Susan sighed. “Well, now that the press conference is over, I’m expected back in the hospital. We can catch up later on some theories and leads, yeah?” 

Harry nodded. “Of course.” 

“I’ll escort you,” Dean said. 

He looked as if he was going to grab onto her elbow and lead her out but thought better of it. Not like it mattered, Hermione mused, they were staying in the same hotel room together. If she got the virus, he would have it too and vice versa. Same with her and Harry. 

Harry looked toward Auror Gonzalez. “What are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked. 

“I plan to make my way around the city, the muggle way, stopping in high traffic wizarding areas making sure that large groups are not congregating together and send them home. Your press conference was aired on the Wizarding Wireless and will be published in the evening editions of newspapers so now it will just be enforcing the Stay-At-Home order. Auror Thomas will be helping me as well once he returns from escorting Miss Bones to the hospital and it shouldn’t take long...though, we might have to enforce a curfew if people don’t listen. ”

“But won’t people listen? I mean, if they don’t, there’s a possibility they could die,” Harry said, looking at Hermione bewildered. 

Gonzalez laughed. “You’d think they’d listen, but no. There will always be those who think we’re doing this to infringe on their rights. They don’t realize the seriousness of it and that we’re doing it to not only protect them but everyone around them as well.” 

“Well, we can hope,” Hermione said. “That’s all we can do for now. Hope that things don’t get worse and hope that we find the culprit who unleashed this virus.” 

The other two nodded in agreement.

* * *

But several weeks passed and hope was waning. MACUSA had enacted a curfew and because of the scare of the virus, no one wanted to speak with them, not even the squibs that they tried to question from their list. Even though they couldn’t be infected as far as they knew, they weren’t taking any chances and many doors were slammed in their faces.

Even the  _ Non-Magicals Support Group: A Safe Space for Squibs and Allies _ was no longer meeting for the time being. It put Harry and Hermione’s case at a standstill. They couldn’t move forward and were stuck day in and day out in their hotel room as MACUSA had decided to shut its doors to protect its workers. 

They were still communicating with their team thanks to the magical underground mailing system but Hermione was going spare within their small room. It wasn’t small but small enough where they were wishing for more space. Though they were some of the only ones left in the hotel, they were even separated from Dean and Susan trying to keep the virus contained if either of them started to show symptoms. 

Susan was especially vulnerable to the virus working around patients every day who came in exhibiting symptoms. 

Their only ray of hope was that there weren't many that were dying anymore. Though, that also meant that more could be infected rather than the virus dying with the infected person. It was a never-ending cycle.

As many precautions as possible were being taken, but still, St. Jouge’s Hospital was filled with an exponential amount of infected magicals. It wasn’t long until news reports were hitting the stands detailing that the virus had reached witches and wizards outside of New York City. It seemed that the virus didn’t discriminate. There was at least one case in every state, the epicenter being in the overpopulated New York City. 

They were doing the best they could, but Hermione was exhausted and very low on the very hope she had spoken on a few weeks earlier. She was starting to think they would never make it back home. 

Before she knew it, they had been in the United States for over two months with nothing to show for it. Hermione awoke one morning to Harry sitting on the edge of the bed, tying up his combat boots. 

“Going somewhere?” she asked groggily, wiping the sleep from her eyes. 

She was surprised to see him in his full Auror uniform — black pants, black shirt, black boots, and a black overcoat with the Ministry of Magic insignia. He had a serious expression on his face, one that Hermione knew well and others feared.

“We’ve got mail at the Ministry here,” he said. “I’m going to fetch it.” 

“Can’t they mail it to us? There is a whole system set up just for this purpose.” 

He shrugged. “Captain Buckley sent me a message and said it was important, asking to meet at the Ministry. Maybe they don’t want to risk sending it through it with everything going on.” 

“So they’d rather risk you going out there and coming into contact with anyone you pass? Just send the goddamn message through the goddamn system,” she growled. 

He laughed. “Thankfully, they opened up the floo network,” he said, pointing to the fireplace in the room. “Just for emergencies of course. That way I don’t have to weave in and out of muggles and potentially other magical folks to get to the entrance.” 

Hermione sighed. “Well, I’m still not happy about it, but I am glad that they maybe care about your safety a little bit.” 

He walked to the side of the bed and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. When he pulled away, he pushed her hair behind her ear and cupped her face. “I’ll be back, soon. Don’t go anywhere.” 

“For once, I will listen to your orders, sir,” Hermione said, with a smirk. “But that’s only because I’m stuck in this godforsaken hotel and not by choice.” 

She watched appreciatively as he walked over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of the emergency floo powder they’d brought along. “Hopefully soon we can get out if only to work on the case a bit more. Hopefully whatever mail we got is something of the sort.” 

“Hopefully,” Hermione echoed back as Harry ducked into the fireplace. 

“MACUSA!” he shouted, dropping the floo powder and disappearing as green flames lit the grate. 

Hermione sighed and crawled out of bed. It was no use continuing to lay there without Harry to distract her. She would take a look at the case files again while he was gone. 

It was less than an hour later that Harry arrived back at the hotel and Hermione hadn’t even gotten to the paperwork yet. 

“What mail did Buckley have for you?” Hermione asked immediately, eager for a change of pace. 

Harry brushed the soot off of his clothes before walking toward the desk. He then pulled a standard-sized envelope out of an inside pocket and handed it over. On the front, it listed Harry’s name along with the Auror Department listed below it. Hermione opened it and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. 

_ Attn: Harry Potter _

Hermione unfolded the paper to find only a few words.

_ I have information that is crucial to your investigation.  _

_ Tonight. 8 pm. Pinstripes. Come alone.  _

“It’s not signed,” Hermione said, frowning, looking up at Harry. 

“I'm not surprised. They’d want to keep their identity a secret. Perhaps even during the meeting, they won’t show us who they really are.” 

“What did Buckley say about it?” 

“He asked if we needed reinforcements. I told him no. You can be another muggle patron in the bar just in case. I don’t think there will be a problem but we can never be too careful.” 

He reached into his pocket one more time and pulled out two gold medallions with intricate carvings around the outside. “He also had me take two emergency portkeys… just in case.” 

Hermione took one from Harry’s hand and looked at it closely. A muggle would never know what it meant, but MACUSA was spelled in little letters in the middle of the coin. She set hers on the desk, Harry following suit. 

“Well, we best get prepared then,” Hermione said. Harry nodded his agreement. 

The rest of the afternoon, Hermione spent perfecting a glamour and transfiguring appropriate clothes for undercover sleuthing. Since it was a fancy whiskey bar, she made sure to put on a short cocktail dress, stilettos, and smoothed her hair down into soft curls with some help from Sleekeazy’s. She finished off her look with a smokey eye and red lipstick.

Harry spent most of his time looking over their notes on the case and their potential suspect. He wasn’t sure what to expect going into this meeting, but he knew he needed to be prepared. 

When it was time to go and Hermione was almost done getting ready, Harry changed into muggle clothes. He looked like a normal bloke — a dark green shirt that matched his eyes, black jeans, and a black leather jacket. He decided on his heavy-duty Auror boots, combat boots were in style after all. 

They both walked over to the desk and pocketed the portkey coins.

“You have your wand?” Harry asked quietly, his mood a bit somber.

Hermione nodded and patted her thigh. “I have it in its holster.” 

“Good.” He turned away and walked to the door of the balcony, looking out over the bustling city.

“Harry?” She walked to his side and wrapped her arm through his, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

He looked down at her. “Yeah, Hermione?” 

“I’m nervous, more than usual.” 

He sighed. “Me too.” And then he laughed. “Sorry,” he said after a moment, seeing the look of confusion on her face. “Seems a bit silly of us to be nervous after fighting Voldemort and Death Eaters for so many years.” 

Hermione smiled softly. “I guess you're right. I think it’s just going into the unknown. We at least knew what to expect with them. We are going into this completely blind.” 

Harry didn’t respond and looked at his watch. The hardened look from earlier that morning returned. He was ready for business. “It’s about that time.” 

Hermione took a moment to steady herself. She hadn’t been this nervous before, perhaps it was because rather than just being best friends with Harry, their relationship had progressed to something more. Or maybe it was because she had been unable to plan this mission thoroughly before going out in the field. Likely, it was a combination of both, making Hermione’s nerves skyrocket. 

With a deep breath, she was ready to face what was coming. Without saying another word, they clasped their hands together and with a pop, Harry apparated them to an alley outside of Pinstripes they had passed many times over the past couple of months. She stumbled a bit, but Harry grabbed her around the waist to keep her from falling. 

“Ready?” Harry asked as they made their way to the edge of the alley. 

Hermione nodded. “Ready. See you there in five?”

“Yes.” He squeezed Hermione’s hand. “Be careful, love.” 

And with that, Hermione sashayed her way away from the alley and into the bar.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear from you. Catch me around Harmony & Co on Facebook or here in a review!


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